Chinta Ria... Buddha Love — Restaurant in Sydney

This restaurant has been somewhat of a stronghold in Sydney, having operated for 29 years now, at various locations. Now its home is Darling Square in Haymarket. The restaurant opens out onto the forum area where you can dine whilst seeing the vibrancy of the area and take in the amazing architectural wonder of Darling Square and the exchange building.

The food, decor and whole experience is inspired by love and happiness, reflected with their iconic large Happy Laughing Buddha statue that resided in their original Chinta Ria Temple of Love restaurant in Darling Harbour.

The restaurant is casual and the cuisine is hearty home-style Malaysian cuisine and food is served in really decent portions. Featuring dishes such as Laksa, curries, Chilli Crab, beef redang, mee goreng and more. We opt to share a few dishes, including the crispy chicken, sambal eggplant and Xo fried rice. The sambal eggplant might look like it’s doused in chilli but it was not too spicy at all, just beautifully flavoured. The XO Fried Rice with shrimp, crab meat, fish roe and Chinta XO sauce is a great version of fried rice and a huge serving. We also ordered the outstanding steamed barramundi. The super large whole fish is steamed and seasoned with ginger and soy. The fish was expertly prepared and cooked, easy to pull apart and the lovely sauce was so nice and perfect to pour over your rice.

Prices here are really reasonable considering the size and the food is suitable to share with a group, for you can try lots of different dishes. Service is wonderfully efficient and so friendly with the host/owner making us feel...

During the school holiday season, we embarked on a delightful adventure at Darling Square. After enjoying a movie at iMax, we were captivated by the enchanting night illustrations. Our three-year-old son lit up with joy at the sight of a giant Buddha statue, and his smile reflected the warmth of our family dinner experience.

This cherished spot, which we used to frequent before becoming parents, has maintained its high-quality food and welcoming atmosphere. Our son savored his first Roti, accompanied by a mouthwatering chicken curry that delighted his dad. We also enjoyed a whole steamed barramundi dressed in ginger soy sauce. The fish was incredibly tender and perfectly cooked. I chose a bowl of steamed rice and vegetables to ensure he had a well-balanced meal, and he showed his satisfaction by finishing everything in his bowl. 😊

My all-time favorite dish at Chinta Ria is the king prawns on crispy noodles, which reminds me of the incredible taste I first experienced in 2021. I want to thank the staff for creating a truly special and memorable family dinner, complete with friendly service and a charming owner who has made this my son’s favorite restaurant.😊

I highly recommend this place for couples and families looking for delicious Asian cuisine, exceptional service, and...

We need to come back when the evening is warm and the fairy lights in the trees round the grass square are lit up.

We visited on our journey round Sydney looking for the perfect lasagne. In a lot of ways, Simon's last chapter in the book of his life as a restauranteur has got it nailed.

I dislike restaurants in heavily tourist edge areas on principle. Chinta Ria however left me with a very positive memory. The staff were efficient, courteous and friendly. They brought wine glasses for the BYO quickly - wine price on the menu is also reasonable. We were Re e offered an ice bucket, another point in the staff's favour.

The chicken curry laksa was flavourful and suitable for those who don't like it hot, hot, hot. We do though and appreciated the offer of . . . and remembering to bring the promised fresh chilli slices. The bowl was piping hot and came with two types of tofu including my favourite: fried tofu.

We got talking with the owner, Simon. He opened this restaurant six years ago and is very proud of it and the quality of the staff he hires - rightly so. He then offered us a roti and another sauce to dip it into besides the laksa to try.

We chose to go to this restaurant because of the nice outdoor seating and were glad we did from the level of service and quality...